Cloth Issues

[Frentebro]

Can anyone provide a crash course, (or a url) on the differences between period
uniform fabric & modern cloths used in repos? Is there any authentic "period" wool being made today? There seems to be a lot of controversy on the issue. I read on some sites that Janke makes the best repos, hard to tell from the original, yet one SS reenactor site says his wool is all wrong....i'm sure a $90 SS visor will not fool anyone, but then there are the Jankes starting at $149 & other brands to almost $300 - just what are the differences? Do we have any reenactors here who are also collectors?

[CSP]

original period wool has a suppleness to it that modern day stuff juts does not have. The newer stuff tends to feel grainy as well - whereas the older materila is soft...almots like it has been soaked in Woolite. I say this mainly in regards to fake panzer uniforms, as that is what I collect, but am sure it is probably true across the board.

[Frentebro]

Thanks Scott. I would think tho as the war went on & the lower quality wools started to come in, there would be other
things to look for...plus i would think that with the many different makers it would be hard to generalize, especially with materials being looted from the occupied countries, used cloth being reprocessed, etc. One thing i've been told is that none of the period wools have the "hairy" effect seen on many more recent products.

[CSP]

You are correct in my opinion, on all your points. Like so many areas of collecting, it is hard to list every aspect to look for. On the other hand, there is no substitute for seeing period originals close up...best way to question the good fakes...none of which measure up to the experienced eye.
Scott

[Rick Research]

I have been at a loss for words ( I heard that!) on how to describe the difference in "feel" between late war reprocessed wool, and new "furry" material... I just can't verbally do it. You've got to actually feel and see them both, like Scott says.

[Frentebro]

Is there any chance of having some articles in the forum on cloth & comparisons with fakes, such as we already have for medals & badges? Could also cover camo. Who are our honchos in these fields?

[Frentebro]

I know that in the ACW field there is some limited production of actual period-type fabrics which are no longer commercially made (at least in the US), such as jean & kersey, for reenactor uniforms- i'm wondering if this is happening at all in the German field.